Device for producing sound effects



June 20, 1950 R. v. GRAVEEL 2,512,015 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING SOUND EFFECTSFiled Oct. 1, 1943 F/ai Z0 Z2 13M ii /7 2 I IN VEN TOR. E0 Y 1 GEAVEEL.

BY WWW other of different timbre.

Patented June 20, 1950 "Roy V. Graveel,

Mishawaka,

Ind.; :Rene J.

Graveel, administrator of said Roy V. Graveel, deceased, assignor to. ,James M. Sixsmith A cat Qcto 9 43 Se f al 9-,

- -2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a device for producing .sound effects.

, It is frequently desirable, in the broadcasting,

reproducing and transmitting of sound, to produce and include certainsound qualities or properties which are not inherent in the soundnaturally. Thus, it may be desired to impart to sound :use thereof.Examples of such uses are the v;.,simulation of the soundcharacteristics of a given Lt musical instrument, such as a pipe organ,by

transformation of the sound produced by a dif- .;ferent instrument, suchas an electric organ; the -;qsimulation of bird and animal calls andnoises by transformation of vocal sounds; the simula- .ti-on of thereverberatory effects of a large enclosure within a small enclosure; andthe transforming of the sound of one voice to imitate an- Also, it maybe desired .130 create these effects under different conditions,

,A further object is to provide a device of the magnetic tape recordingand reproducing type .fduaving recording and reproducing heads, andmeans for vibrating or oscillating one of said she ads lengthwise ofsaid tape to create the property of vibrato.

.Afurther object is to provide a device of the magnetic tape recordingand reproducing type wherein said tape is alternately magnetized andpartially demagnetized to produce a sound record at magnetized portionsthereof having a predominant sound characteristic and a secondaryechoing or reverberatory background sound characteristic.

A further object is to provid a sound recording and reproducing devicewith adjustable means i'or introducing selected extraneous effects inthereproduced sound as compared to the recorded sound.

Other objects will be apparent from the description, drawing a andappended claims.

'j In the drawing:

*Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one emv bodiment oftheinvention.

'*Fig;'-2:is an enlarged detail view of one (Cl. 179F100J5) Fig. 3 is aside view of another form of the invention, with parts shown in section.

Fig. i is an end view of the Fig. 3 embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a View illustrating means for producing oscillation of arecording head transversely of a recording wire or tape.

I have chosen to illustrate the invention as incorporated in a soundrecording and reproducing device of the type using a magnetizabl tape orwire In as the recording element. In the Fig. 1 embodiment this tape orWire is endless, andis trained around a pair of spaced reels 0r pulleysll rotatable about fixed spaced parallel axes in the same manner that adrive belt i trained around driving and driven pulleys. The pulleys orreels H are preferabl peripherally grooved to guide the wire, and onetherefore is driven by a motor 12 or the like as by means of the V-beltl3 trained around pulleys l4 and 15 on th shafts of the motor and thedriving unit of the .set .of tape pulleys II. The wire Ill-serves totransmit rotation to the other wire pulley l l.

portion 56- gmthe'device-showninl ig. 1.

I recording head l8 which is associated with suitable recording means,and which serves to magnetize the wire Ill. The recording means includesa microphone or transmitter [9 for converting the sounds to be recordedinto electrical pulses. The recording means is here illustrated as aconventional microphone circuit, including a battery 20, switch 2| andtransformer 22 for increasing the strength of the signal pulses.

At a third successive or sequential station is positioned a pick-up orreproducing head 23 which is energized by the magnetized wire H), as itpasses said head. Suitable reproducing means .is'associated with thepick-up head, the means here illustrated including an amplifier 24 and aloud speaker 25. The character of the means associated with the pick-uphead 23 will depend upon the use to which the device is to be put, thatshown being for use in conjunction with an instrument, such as anelectric organ, ,to control the sound effect produced by said organ.Other uses, such-as for radio broadcasting, for recording ondiscrecords, or the like may employ alterrna-tive devices energizablebysaid pick-,up head :13 andcrtypesneuunderstood inthe a ionly as orsimilar to an echo.

. truly the sound imposed upon the microphone or transmitter l9, whenrheostat 28 is adjusted to cause Wiping head to completely de-magnetiz'ewire ID as it passes said head However, it has angers frequency, forexample between 435 and 445 an cles per second. In other words, when thehead being reciprocated moves oppositely to the direction in which thewire II] is moving the frequency is increased, and when said head movesin the same direction as the wire the frequency is reduced. Byconstructing and adjusting the vi- .bratirig means with particularregardto the con:

the further advantage of being capable of adjustment to provide aselected echoing or reverberatory sound effect as a background for theipTinCirpal signal or sound to be reproduced. Thus, if.

rheostat 28 is adjusted for predetermined partial de-magnetization ofwire I!) as it passes head 26, the subsequent effect of the recordinghead I8 upon the partly de-magnetized wire is to impose thereon the newsignal as an addition to the residue of the previous signal. Thus, aswire Ill leaves recording head 18 it is magnetized principally orpredominantly as a recording of the primary signal, and to a smalldegree by residual The sound ef-' magnetism of a preceding signal. fectobtained when the reproducing means is energized by this wire is areproduction of the primary signal and a reverberatory backgroundditions and requirements of its intended use, such as the speed oftravel of wire 10, the effect pro: duced by the vibration or oscillationcan be cor related tothe type of sound or signal, as of voice, musicalinstrument, etc., encountered in that use. The effects which can beproduced and the sounds which can be simulated are numerous, but theprincipal function is to produce vibrato effects.

By virtue of the provision of separate controls, i. e., rheostat 28 anda control (not shown) for motor 38, the device may produce eitherreverberation or vibrato, or both together, at the will of the operator.Also, by adjustment of the pivot connection of the connecting rod 3 3with the I illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. A shaft 45] mounts a noise notdistinguishable as a signal, per se, but,.

may be adjusted to be as pronounced or faint as desired by adjusting therheostat 28. When used to record and reproduce music, the reverberatoryeffect of one instrument, as a pipe organ, can be obtained from recordedmusic, in which reverberation is not inherent, as from the recordedmusic from an electric organ.

Where it is desired to introduce a vibrato,

means may be employed in conjunction with the device above described forvibrating or oscillating I one of the heads it or 23 along the wire I5parallel to one of the runs thereof, as illustrated diagrammatically byarrows 29 in Fig. 1. One embodiment of such means is shown in Fig. 2, itbeing understood that this embodiment is intended solely as anillustration and the same result may be accomplished by many otherinstrumentalities of different types. The head to be vibrated. hereassumed to be head 23, is mounted on a carrier 30 of any suitableconstruction, Carrier 30 is fixedly mounted on the end of a rod 3i whichis slidably supported by and longitudinally reciprocable in a guide 32.The other end of rod 3! is pivoted at 33 to one end of a connecting'rod34 whose opposite end is pivoted at 35 to a crank arm 36 "mounted on thedrive shaft 31 of a motor 38.

Crank arm 36 may have a plurality of apertures 39 therein for connectionof the connecting rod therewith at different positions along the lengthi of the crank arm. Also, motor 38 is preferably of the variable speedtype and has a speed regulator '(not shown) associated therewith.

Upon the operation of the. motor 38, the assopiano, which has a normalfrequency of 440 cycles per second, the effect of the vibration oroscillation'ofhead 23 may be controlledl to alternate and vary thefrequency thereof as reproduced between-predetermined limits aboveandbelowsaid The background disc All having a non-magnetic andnon-conducting annular rim d2, preferably of radially outwardly taperingcross section. A ring 33 of magnetizable wire or tape fits around rim42, as in a shallow groove thereof, whereby the major crosssection ofsaid wire or tape projects from said rim. An annular stationary frame 44encircles the disc 4|, being arranged in concentric and coplanarrelation to said disc. Frame 44 may be 7 provided with suitablesupporting means, such as I. base members 45.

1 points the annular frame t6 may mount brackets .46 which support, inoperative relation to the ex- At spaced circumferential posed wire ortape, the heads d7 associated with the polarizing, recording,reproducing and demagnetizing means previously described with referenceto the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The bracket 68 which mounts that oneof the heads,

, as of the recording or reproducing means, which is to be reciprocated,may have a guided movement on frame 44, as on a tangent thereto, and maybe spring pressed toward one end of its path of movement. A cam 49mounted on a rotatable terchange with a plurality of other camsproviding different strokes and periods of reciprocation of thereciprocable head carrier. Alternatively, a

number of different cams may be mounted on the same shaft, and means maybe provided to shift the assembly to bring a selected cam into operativerelation to the carrier of the head which is to be reciprocated. Theadvantage of the cam type of construction resides in its simplicity andcompactness. Also, the wire is fixed on its mounting, in this'embodiment, so that mechanical stresses and fatigue factors areminimized.

The device is preferably mounted in a housing (not shown) as a unit, inboth embodiments shown, so that compactness facilitates portability andalso simplifies problems of space limitations,

wall mounting and the like.

It will be noted that the device differs from recording means per se,inasmuch as the recording is merely incidental and a given magneticeffeet is retained for an exceedingly short period of time only. Thiseliminates the need for long lengths of wire commonly required inrecording devices of the magnetic wire or tape type and thereforepermits the use of wire of heavier gauge and greater strength than spaceand winding limitations permit in a conventional magnetic wire type ofrecorder. It will be apparent that care must be exercised to insure thatthe wire in the device is properly shielded against extraneous magneticand electrical effects thereon, in order to prevent interference withproper functioning or the device.

Although the device has been illustrated with one pick-up head orreproducing means, a plurality thereof may be used. Where more than onepick-up head or reproducing means is provided, they will preferably beselected for individual response to limited ranges of the frequency ofthe recorded sound. For example, one may be responsive to lowfrequencies, such as frequencies below 800 cycles per second, andanother may be responsive to high frequencies, such as frequencies above800 cycles per second. The individual pick-up heads may be arranged tooscillate in unison or at different speeds and strokes at the electionof the operator or one may be stationary and the other reciprocable.Multiple pick-up heads must be positioned close together and the wire ortape must travel at high speed to avoid objectionable time lag effects.When properly arranged and correlated, the use of multiple pick-up headswill permit the production of novel and pleasin sound efiects, by virtueof the breaking up of the tones thereby and the possibility ofemphasizing certain tones.

Tremulent eifects can also be produced by the device by reciprocating oroscillating one of the recording or pick-up heads transversely of thetape. For simplicity of construction, and assuming that one of theheads, such as the reproducing head or heads, is mounted forlongitudinal reciprocation to produce vibrato as described above, theother head or heads of the recording and reproducing set may be mountedfor transverse oscillation to produce tremolo. The means for producingsuch transverse oscillation may be similar to the means described forproducing longitudinal oscillation, or may be of any other suitable typeor construction.

An illustrative means for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 5 whereinthe recording head 6| is yieldingly mounted in the support 60 so thatthe tip 62 of its electrode is positioned in proper relation to themagnetizable wire or tape I0. A star wheel 63 is provided with a numberof teeth or projections 64 and is mounted upon a rotating shaft 55 sopositioned that the teeth 64 of the star wheel will engage the recordinghead Bl to urge the same transversely of the Wire or tape ID. The shaft65 may travel at such a speed and the number of teeth 64 may be socorrelated with said speed that the desired frequency of oscillation ofthe recording head is secured.

The construction accommodates oscillation of the head lengthwise of thewire by mounting the support or bracket so for reciprocation upon theframe 44' to be spring-pressed toward one end of its path of movementand suitable means may be provided for oscillating said support orbracket 60, such as a cam 49', which is mounted upon a rotatable shaft50', which cam is positioned to engage and be pressed against by thebracket 60 so as to oscillate the said bracket when the cam is rotated.The transverse oscillation must be of such amplitude and period, inrelation to the electrical and magnetic values involved and to the speedof travel of the magnetic wire or tape, that the desired tremulenteffect is produced. Thus the oscillations must not be so great as tomove the head outside of the range of magnetic reaction thereof with thewire, but should be sufficient to produce distinguishable alternatelyincreased and decreased amplitude or volume which characterizes tremolo.

While I prefer the application of the invention to apparatus of themagnetic wire type, it is not strictly limited thereto. Thus, byoscillating the pick-up head longitudinally of the sound track of anyrecording, such as a disc phonograph record or a motion picture filmsound track, a vibrato elfect may be produced.

I claim:

1. A device for producing sound effects comprising a magnetizable wire,mechanism for driving said wire, recording means including a head forinfluencing said wire, reproducing means including a head influenced bysaid wire, means for oscillating one head longitudinally of said wire,and means for oscillating the other head transversely of said wirewithin the field of magnetic influence between said head and wire.

2. A device for producing sound eflfects comprising a magnetizable Wire,mechanism for driving said wire, recording means including a head forinfluencing said wire, reproducing means including a head influenced bysaid wire, means for oscillating one head longitudinally of said wire,means for oscillating the other head transversely of said wire withinthe field of magnetic influence between said head and wire, and meansfor selectively controlling each of said head-oscillating means.

his ROY V. X GRAVEEL.

mark

Witness to mark:

MILTON A. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CiTElD The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS;

Number Name Date 1,325,574 Nichols Dec. 23, 1919 1,366,617 Wier Jan. 25,1921 1,588,706 Cothran June 15, 1926 2,038,647 Clansen Apr. 28, 19362,105,318 Goldsmith Jan. 11, 1938 ,169,762 Kaye Aug. 15, 1939 2,213,246Heller Sept. 3, 1940 2,251,390 Star Aug. 5, 1941 2,327,956 Begun Aug.24, 1943 2,350,083 Walker May 30, 1944 2,373,560 Hanert Apr. 10, 1945FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,825 Great Britain Feb. 27, 1906

